Hoses, such as those used in the space station, airplanes, and in other non-aeronautical embodiments, often need to be leak tested in order to determine if a substance flowing through the hose is leaking. Some conventional apparatus and methods for detecting leaks in hoses utilize a detector probe having a small test opening which must manually be slowly moved over the entire hose to see if any portion of the hose is leaking. In one embodiment of such a detector probe, the test tip may only be one-eighth-of-an-inch. Only a small portion of the hose equivalent to the size of the test tip may be tested at a time. This may take substantial time and may increase the likelihood of missing a portion of the hose being tested. As an example, it took eleven hours to test a three-hundred-and-fifty inch hose for the space station. Moreover, ambient air may dilute the sample being tested by the test tip decreasing test sensitivity and accuracy. Further, it may be difficult for the operator of the probe to keep the test tip at a constant distance from the hose. This may lead to inaccurate readings. Additional problems may be experienced by other conventional apparatus and/or leak-testing methods.
An apparatus and method is needed which may solve one or more problems of one or more of the conventional apparatus and methods for testing hoses for leaks.